Automated Dynamics, a composite structure manufacturing company, is leading a $1.5m programme sponsored by the US Department of Energy (DOE), to advance fuel cell and hydrogen (H2) technologies.

The company has been funded to advance its patented electrofusion (EF) pipe coupling technology, in order to provide a simple, robust and cost-effective method of joining pipes to transport H2.

The project will seek to activate a reliable network of high-pressure H2 delivery lines through the use of high-strength plastic composite materials that are resistant to corrosion.

Design, development and fabrication activities will be carried out by Automated Dynamics at its industrial manufacturing facilities in Niskayuna, New York, and initial prototypes of the EF coupler will be designed for testing key factors such as bond strength, leakage, burst strength and fatigue.

This scheme is part of a $20m investment by the DOE, into 10 separate projects which will aim to accelerate American innovation in clean energy technologies and encourage early adoption of FCV vehicles.

A report from the DOE shows the fuel cell industry is continuing to grow and totalled more than $2.2bn in sales in 2014, with David Danielson, Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the DOE, reinforcing, “These projects will continue to make advances in our rapidly-expanding portfolio of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.”

No comments yet

Have your say

Only registered users can comment on this article.

About gasworld

Month on month the gasworld website continues to be the primary portal for information, on a global scale, about our industry - be it through the provision of news and features, or information in the expansive company directory section. Launched in 2004, it is the only independent online news provider and information portal for the global industrial gas community and the larger end-user markets. The website also now incorporates news for gasworld US and Specialty Gas Report.